NIN: No one Is Nothing
by Miss Furu
Summary: High school is tough for outsiders. That’s why Naruto and Kiba started NIN, for the outcasts of Konoha High. Junior year has arrived:Naruto has found a person to persuade to join: The lonely Sasuke Uchiha who wants absolutely nothing to do with...
1. In Which Our Story Begins

NIN- No one Is NothingChapter one, two in progress

Sasunaru, GaaLee, ShikaNeji, KibaShino, ChoHina

NIN- No one Is Nothing By: Jinnifuru Sohma 

High school is tough for outsiders. That's why Naruto and Kiba started NIN, specially for the lonely people of Konoha High. Junior year has arrived and Naruto has found a person to persuade to join: The lonely Sasuke Uchiha who wants absolutely nothing to do with any part of the human species. Will they be able to convince Sasuke and maybe a few other outsiders along the way to join NIN and have the best friends anyone could ever hope for? In the process, will Sasuke just happen to gain feelings for a certain blue eyed leader of the group? Sasunaru, GaaLee, ShikaNeji, KibaShino, ChoHina, Kakairu,

Flashback

It was a beautiful day in Konoha as a little blonde haired boy sat in the sandbox alone. The sun reflected in his ocean blue eyes as he took a moment from creating his castle to watch the clouds. All around him, children his age, children he knew from class, played with each other. A close, small group of boys were engaged in a silly game of tag, each squealing in delight when someone was caught.

The blue eyes settled back to his work of art. It had almost been crushed underneath the crusty sandals of a red faced boy who had nearly gotten tagged. He mumbled an apology over his shoulder as he took off again, in the direction of the playground.

The spiky haired child sighed, staring at his shoes which were splayed out in front of him and slowly tapping together in a steady rhythm. He pushed his fingers deep into the sand on either side of him, feeling the tiny crystals start to shove their way under his nails. His brief enjoyment of squashing the sand in his palms was interrupted by a shadow that crept its way along the sandbox, stopping to hover over the small boy's form.

"Hi there!" A cheery voice belonging to the creator of the shadow emitted. The blue eyes once again looked up, this time to take in the outline of a familiar boy from his homeroom.

He had tanned skin, and the same style of spiky hair, but in contrast it was a dark mahogany color that shone boldly from the sun's rays. Two red markings (probably finger paint from art class) crinkled under the brunette's mischievous eyes, a friendly smile still plastered on his face.

"Hi…" The blonde mumbled, looking away stubbornly. He busily set himself to the task of wiping tan grains from his hands.

_No one_ ever talked to him. Even the teachers rarely did so, unless it was absolutely necessary. So just what exactly did this boy want with him? He growled inwardly at the amiable face.

"I'm Kiba! I really like dogs!" The Brunette claimed cheerfully, lowering himself into the sand next to the other boy. After getting settled, he continued in the same expressive tone.

"You're Naruto, right?" The boy named Naruto nodded, though it was barely readable. "What do you like?" A shrug. "Sand?" Yet another shrug. What _was_ this guy's problem?

"Well, I think it _has_ to be sand," Kiba stated matter-of-factly. "because you're here every recess." Naruto looked at the boy long enough to be sure to send him a proper glare. What? Was he stalking him now too?

"Hey Naruto?"

"Hm?" He grunted, seriously irked. This Kiba boy asked too many damn questions! Naruto scowled, still avoiding the gaze of the dog-boy.

In conclusion to make himself look occupied, he started to kick at a sand clod until it broke apart into tiny pieces. He wasn't prepared for what the brunette was about to ask.

"Um…" Kiba started, a bit unsure of himself. "Do you hate me or somethin'?"

Naruto's eyes snapped open wide in astonishment, clearly shocked by the sudden change of subject. It was obviously a strange question to ask someone you just met. He finally turned to stare dumbfounded into the other's solemn face, waiting for him to continue.

"You never come and play with me or the others. You just sit here by yourself." Kiba finally explained less compellingly this time. The brunette winced a bit and glared at his sandal. He turned away from the blonde momentarily to fish a small rock that had painfully lodged itself there earlier.

Naruto felt like he had been hit in the chest by a two hundred pound weight. He didn't move and stayed rooted to his position as he let his emotions slowly reveal themselves.

The boy's blunt choice of wording had struck something inside that he had once chosen to hide away. His eyes stung painfully as he held back a few threatening teardrops. Oh god, he was going to cry! Not here! Why did dog breath have to ask such stupid things? Couldn't he just leave him alone like everyone else?

"What do you care!?" Naruto snapped, frustrated with himself for letting the simple sentence make him so emotional. His voice cracked awkwardly in the sentence, making it sound high pitched at the end. Hints of fat tears still clung to the brim of his obsidian eyes and he desperately tried to wipe them away when the brunette had turned back towards him.

"I just thought you looked lonely over here. That's all…" He replied gently, not at all phased by the blonde's nasty retort.

Kiba's serene eyes finally met with those moist cerulean ones and he gave a soft appearance to them to show that he was sorry for intruding in Naruto's business, without actually having to say it aloud. As a result, the blue eyed boy's defensive features started to relax and he went silently into thought.

Naruto was seriously considering at that moment whether he should trust his new companion or not. All his life he had been an outcast, a nobody. From the day that he lost his parents he had sworn to never let another human being try to get close. Why should today be any different from all the others? He was doing absolutely fine on his own, wasn't he?

Then again.. no one had even bothered to try and talk to him till today. Maybe he should embrace it and try to make a new friend for as long as it may last. Kiba _was_ being awfully persistent, and he had to admit, the dog boy was correct when it came to him being lonely…

The two boys sat in a bit of a friendly silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other's comforting company. Children continued to play around them, but neither seemed to notice, or care for that matter.

The serenity was eventually interrupted when the brunette had gathered up the courage to try speaking to the blonde. He analyzed his words carefully, determined not to make the other boy cry again.

"I-I like your sandcastle," Kiba stated unsurely giving the morose boy a famous small smile. "but…"

Naruto's head snapped up at the added "but" and eyed his sandcastle protectively. Was there something wrong with his sandcastle or something? He watched silently as his company reached out over the edge of the sandbox to snatch up a bright red leaf from the grass. Kiba twirled it absent mindedly in his fingers before finally sticking the stem down into the sand of the top of the highest tower on the castle. The delicate red part fluttered softly in the wind, but it's stem kept it anchored to the sand. Ah, a flag was it?

"There." He smiled brightly, making Naruto fill up with a sudden warmth, and it was then that the unthinkable happened.

He smiled.

The corners of his lips tugged upwards to mimic those on Kiba's amiable face, and he _smiled_. At first it was a bit awkward seeing as it had been so long since he had ever smiled because he felt so much happiness inside. It had been so long… but now he was smiling again. _Smiling_!

Naruto's little happy reunion with his smile was broken as Kiba maneuvered himself to his feet and started to brush grains of sand from the seat of his jeans. The blonde's smiled started to fade. Had he somehow offended Kiba with his ugly smile? He flinched backwards when a hand was outstretched to him, offered out kindly in front of his tan face.

Naruto looked up into the face of Kiba, letting his eyes once again scan over the other's gentle features until their eyes met. Blue eyes locked on pools of brown. Their holding gaze did not waver as the standing boy opened his mouth to speak.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you... Wanna be my friend?"

Naruto felt a little confused at the proposition, but kept watching Kiba's comforting face. "Why?" He asked quietly, almost inaudibly. "I-I'm a nothing…"

"Of course you aren't. No one is nothing, Naruto." Kiba stated confidently, winking. His hand was still where it had been, waiting for him, calling him.

The blonde once again grinned up at his new friend, feeling a sudden new reassurance build up in him. He happily accepted the hand offered to him which automatically gripped his tightly as his friend hoisted him to his feet. Their smiles refused to fade.

As the school bell rang, signaling recess to be over, the two boys walked with the rest into the school building, hands still clasped, and both quite content with the new arrangement…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oi! Baka! Pay attention!" A sixteen year old Kiba stated rather aggravatedly as he waved a tan hand in front of the other's face. This was about the fifth time he had attempted to gain his friend's attention and nothing seemed to get the blonde to snap out of it. He cast an annoyed glance toward a young man with a dark ponytail sitting next to him. The teen looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep but gave a lazy nod as an affirmative to the flustered brunette. With permission, Kiba happily obliged to smacking the day dreamer up the side of his head. _Thwack!_

The victim nearly jumped ten feet out of his chair, startled. "Itai! What the hell, Kiba?!" cried an agitated Naruto as he snapped back to reality to glare at his friend. He winced a bit to show his pain while rubbing the sore spot on his scalp.

"There was no other way." Kiba smirked, trying to give as innocent of a face as possible. "We thought we'd lost you in Happy Happy Land. I saved you at the last minute."

Naruto stuck his tongue out obnoxiously at his best friend . The innocent face never worked well for dog-breath. 'What a cheese!' He thought cheerfully, unconsciously grinning to himself at the amusement of Kiba's horrible excuse before turning his attention to the same pony-tailed boy that the brunette associated with earlier.

The sleepy male looked like he was on the brink of passing out, but managed to exchange lazy eye contact with Naruto. The blonde was now busy with pointing an accusing finger at him. The lazy guy merely yawned acting as if he didn't notice.

"You!" Naruto chided loudly, breaking the silence. "How could you just sit there and let him treat me so cruelly, Shikamaru?" He whined, trying to conjure an abused-puppy-look on his bright face. The blonde was trying his best to sound serious but couldn't help grinning like a fool when the accused rolled his eyes.

Shikamaru grumpily muttered something about him being "Troublesome." And "Too much to deal with" which was also mixed in with a hardy yawn. Naruto had always seemed to exaggerate way too much for his liking, and he had no intention on staying up if the blonde was in one of his moods.

Shikamaru had been keeping himself awake all morning for his idiot friends and now it took way too much energy to stay awake any longer. Sleep was looking rather promising at that point most likely because he hadn't gotten his full 14 hours of sleep the night before. What a drag…With a flutter of his eyes closing, he promptly gave into sweet slumber, letting his head limply fall to the desk with a rather amusing thunk. "…"

Poke. "Is he alive?" "Kiba! Stop poking him! He isn't road kill!" "Could've fooled me." "Oi? Shika?" Snore. "Yep, he's fine." The two grinned knowingly at each other, shaking their heads. Only Shika…

"What the hell are you doing to Shikamaru?" An unamused person demanded from behind them. Both of the accused looked up to meet the cloudy white eyes of another friend who had just arrived without them even noticing. The standing teen stood perfectly straight, one hand swinging loosely at his side while the other poised on his right hip sophisticatedly. Kiba smirked slightly when he saw who it was, but the blonde next took him took a whole different approach in greeting him.

"Neji-kun!" He cried loudly, and jumped straight out of his seat, launching himself at the long haired boy full force. The blonde landed awkwardly on the surprised brunette and in result, he happily tackled the new arrival to the ground, hugging him to death in delight.

Neji grunted in reply, seeing as his friend was making it really hard for him to breath. He was about to smack the bubbly male but decided against it. Besides, how could you treat someone so unkindly when they are so happy to see you… right? "Hello to you too, Naruto. Kiba." He nodded in the direction of the dog lover, who acknowledged him back in the same respect, before shoving the clingy bundle off of himself. Naruto pouted at the harshness of Neji's push and he slowly made is way back to his seat next to Kiba.

The Hyuuga rolled his eyes (no one could tell seeing as he had no pupils) at the blonde's melodramatic expression and swiftly hoisted himself to his feet. He silently scanned the room for an available seat near his friends while also engaged in brushing off the seat of his jeans. The white gaze paused at the empty chair next to the snoring male, and he smirked as he walked over and claimed the seat vacant next to Shikamaru.

XXXXXXXXXX

As things drifted back to the state they had been before he arrived, Neji listened attentively to his surroundings of the slowly filling classroom, quietly observing people. Kiba and Naruto were huddled close together, mischievous grins on their faces and whispering secretively. It was clear that they were scheming the next "NIN mission" aka: practical joke, probably for their new homeroom teacher. As it was explained to him before, every first day of school since their third grade year, Kiba and Naruto pulled one over on a poor unsuspecting teacher.

Intrigued, the long haired brunette leaned a bit towards them and strained to hear bits of their conversation. Naruto chuckled excitedly and mentioned "NIN" and Kiba nodded in return, grinning like a fool. Both would take turns glancing anxiously around the room to see if anyone was suspecting them yet. If that didn't give it away.. then nothing would, though one had to admit they weren't too good at being secretive. Yep, that was exactly what they're up to, Neji concluded at once. He sighed, sitting back in his chair and waiting for some magic. When Naruto said NIN, he usually meant business.

NIN was an acronym for No one Is Nothing. It was also the name given to their small group of very odd friends. As far as Neji's knowledge went, NIN was founded by Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru at the end of the second grade. Kiba and Naruto had become friends first, and soon started hanging along with Shikamaru after noticing he was always seen by himself, staring at the clouds.

After a couple of months of them being friends, Naruto had the bright idea to give them a name, kind of like a club or something, only different. It became a symbolic pet name to call themselves as a whole instead of each being viewed as individuals. It was also a sort of a nonexistent tie between the three, making certain they would stay together for a good long while. Neji wasn't all too sure how they had ever come up with NIN, but he had to admit, when the boys said it out loud sometimes it just sounded downright corny.

When the years rolled on and the NIN boys got a bit older, they seemed to start making a tradition of befriending anyone else that looked like a loner, outsider, or even a freak for that matter. Naruto was the main person to acquire a passion of making the secluded become wanted as their friend. It could have been his very forlorn childhood that drove him to want to make people feel like one of them. Or maybe he was just on crack. Either way, they say the result of joining NIN was always gaining the best friends one could ever ask for.

Somewhere around fifth grade, NIN had gained their first two recruits. They were both… how to put it… unique? Rock Lee was by far the odder of the two. He had huge black eyes, a bowl-cut of pitch black hair with matching thick eyebrows, and a blinding smile. He was also the one trying to cheer everyone up when something devastated one of them… and had a knack for making it worse.

It was the thought that counted though, and everyone always went straight to the raven if they needed to be cheered up, just because he had a lot of heart and that consoled them. Lee was always optimistic, making constant positive comments (on things that really didn't need to be said), he was somewhat clueless, extremely athletic, and _**never**_ left the house unless he was clad in some form of green. Freak.

That left the other boy. Chouji… was Chouji. He had light brown hair that he kept up in two messy spikes on the sides of his head, small beady eyes, and packed plenty of fat to keep him for months. The boy was usually seen clutching a bag of some sort of junk food in one chubby hand, with the other alternating from the bag to his mouth, transferring the sweets.

There was an underground rule within the group never to mention the words "Chouji" and "diet" in the same sentence, just in case. Over the years, the rest of the guys had to learn 'Chouji speak' because it was extremely difficult to determine what the pudgy boy was saying when his mouth was jammed full. He was always eating like there was no tomorrow, and for that, the lunch ladies **loved** him.

Sixth grade brought yet another oddball to the group. Shino Aburame was yet another male with spiked hair, although his was different in the respects that it was held up securely by thick black headband around his forehead and that his locks were such a dark mahogany, they almost appeared black until you observed them under the light. He always wore high collared shirts no matter how hot it was outside and sunglasses no matter how dark, and most of the girl's kept a safe distance from him seeing as his favorite past time consisted of collecting bugs.

Shino was unofficially labeled the mysterious one of the group because he only talked when spoken to, and never seemed at all social when the gang was together. Kiba had taken quite a liking to him over the past couple of years and took it as a challenge to make the bug boy more outgoing. It was only showing a bit of a positive turn, as Mr. Mystery was gradually becoming more comfortable about being open. The dog boy always claimed that one day, Shino would be totally transformed to the point that he was almost as talkative as Naruto. This would have usually brought on a few chuckles or jokes, but they never seemed to surface because Kiba appeared strangely determined and held the most serious face when he spoke of it.

Then at last, there was Neji. Neji was the newest and last member to join the group so far. He had cloudy white eyes that lacked pupils, which seemed to look right through you when you talked to him, and long dark brown hair that reached a bit past his waist.

The Hyuuga had a very sarcastic outlook on things, and could come off as a real asshole at times, but the others understood that that was just his way of being friendly. His heart was in the right place. So they liked to think, at least… Neji was probably the most normal of all of them, yet he still managed to somehow be adopted by NIN.

Tenth grade year was when he was finally discovered by the group. Neji had always been alone before that. No matter how many people tried to talk to him, he just never seemed very interested in what they had to say. Most of the people who DID treat him decently were only doing so because he was rich and their parents told them it would be wise to form alliances with a Hyuuga. The brunette well knew this, and therefore managed to keep his distance from all of those bad excuses of the human species.

By high school, though, his detachment from others had started to catch up with him in a negative effect. Most of everyone he encountered during the day in school loathed him in one way or another. Many claimed that he was a conceited and pompous jack ass who felt he was too good to associate with lower class people. Those people glared at him every chance they got and usually taped irking messages on his locker when he wasn't looking.

Others were just downright jealous, the boys especially, of the little fan club Neji had acquired freshman year. Little did they know that Neji was the exact opposite kind of person than what they had in mind. The truth was that all the boy ever wanted was real people with genuine personalities who didn't give a fuck how much money he had, but liked him all the same no matter who he was. With all of his classmates acting the way they did, he was starting to think that something as fortunate as that would never occur. Yes, Neji was quite the lonely bastard before NIN came to his rescue.

At first he was a bit taken aback after he had agreed to start hanging around with the others. NIN was the exact opposite to what he had learned to grow up with, and it was going to take a long while for him to totally adjust to their carefree way of life. They were extremely childish at times and made it very obvious when they went to public places to hang out. Embarrassment came along with the friendship part, he knew though, but he could easily over look it for two main reasons.

The first was that he had finally found the type of friends that he searched for, after years of looking and giving up. Immature as they were, they were still real in how they acted towards him, and when they were out having a good time, it was absolutely genuine fun(I rhymed… damn..). The second was the fact that Neji wasn't alone when it came to being a mature person in the group. There was one other male who would always agree with how troublesome Kiba and Naruto could be at times.

Ah, Shikamaru. In the beginning, Neji absolutely despised Shikamaru. He was lazy, always seen sleeping or just lounging around like a sack of potatoes, and had frequent cranky moments when he was interrupted from a cat nap. But recently, the dunce had miraculously found a way to worm himself into Neji's heart and they were quickly becoming good friends.

It was probably due to their similar joy of sitting and observing their friends act like major idiots, and all the while complaining about how juvenile they were being. It seemed to become the two's favorite past time to rest peacefully next to each other, watching life go on all around them, and every once in a while inserting a few sarcastic comments here and there to lighten their mood. Usually, the sarcastic remarks were aimed good heartedly towards something idiotic one of their friends did.

It was also oddly comforting to Neji to be with someone as laid back as Shikamaru was, seeing as his home life had always been so tense, and it was nice to just relax and stop worrying, even if it was just for an hour or two. He liked being able to feel like he could pause for a moment, just to see what else was going on in the atmosphere, other than what had to do with him. All in all, Neji Hyuuga had never felt more… complete his entire life.

The history dissipated from his mind as he noticed a sudden chaos start to erupt at the front of the classroom. Being disrupted from their scheming by the same thing, Naruto and Kiba's heads snapped up from their sneaky positions to curiously watch the happenings at the door. Even Shikamaru managed to crack open one eye to peer wearily at a crowd that had started to form at the entrance of the room.

The perpetrators consisted of a small mob of females, and all were pushing at each other, squealing in delight to get a view through the door. A very… unnerving sight. It was accompanied by hushed whispering that had settled itself over the seated students, most of which looked confused. Naruto was no exception to bewilderment as he eyed his friends who looked just as baffled. He quirked and eyebrow and mouthed 'What the fuck?' in their direction. The three shrugged, keeping a curious gaze locked on the happenings.

A few seconds later, however, and the posse of rabid girls was broken up as quickly as it formed, and still excited about.. whatever they were excited about, they all finally made their ways back to their abandoned desks.

A pink haired girl named Sakura was gossiping loudly with her best friend Ino, a long haired bleach-blonde, as both wandered past the guys and took seats behind the NIN boys. It was clear that they were chattering over what had just happened with the whole girl-jam-at-the-door incident. The four friends exchanged glances and listened closely, desperately trying to decode a hint of what all the excitement was about.

"Oh my god, Ino!" A bubbly Sakura screeched all too obnoxiously from behind them, causing them to cringe. She was always being loud about something. "Did you see him?"

Ino was just as ecstatic and it showed as she bounced energetically up and down on her butt in her chair. "Yes! I got a really good look at him! He's just sooo hot!" The so seemed to be a whole twenty seconds long as she dragged it out in a preppy tone. (Authoress: Gag me…) "We should see if he will sit with us…"

Naruto wrinkled up his nose and snorted, shaking his head in disgust and rolled his eyes. Dude, and he thought something interesting was actually going on. Tch, yeah okay. When it came to girls, everything was a big deal, he should have known better than to expect something actually interesting.

He looked at his friends who seemed to have the same reaction as his, and he smirked as one shook his head, one chuckled to himself and the last… went back to sleep. He laughed, and grinned in their direction.

"Damn, all this commotion, and it was just a bunch of hormonal fan girls. Figures they'd make a big deal for a new gu-" His mouth abruptly snapped shut as the door suddenly opened and said 'new boy' walked in.

He paused in the front of the room, all eyes on him, as the door soundly clicked shut on its own, and immediately searched for an empty seat, preferably a secluded one. In reaction to this, the silenced girls of the room erupted into giggles, chirruping between themselves while some of the braver ones called out to him.

"Over here Sasuke!"

"There's a free seat next to me Sasuke-kun!" Another yelled all too sweetly.

Sasuke simply sent a glare to each of them via Fed Ex (Authoress: Ha! Fed Ex!.. ahem…), clearly not amused, causing both to shrink back in their seats, surprised at his insensitive response. The NIN boys smirked at this. Finally someone actually managed to put the fan girls in their place. The new boy slowly made his way through the center aisle towards his destination in the back of the room.

He made sure to send a cold glare at every chick he passed by (and then some) and even a couple to some of the guys staring at him enviously. But instead of getting his desired effect, the girls just engaged themselves in tittering and giggling at him and a few even waved frantically. Jeez, they never took a clue, did they? Stupid women. Finally arriving at a spot that looked as safe as one could get, he took a seat against the wall which also happened to be located on the other side of the four NIN friends. Sakura giggled.

Naruto stared impolitely at the new arrival, his mouth hanging open in admiration. He didn't often.. no, he rarely agreed with anything that Sakura-bitch had to gossip about, but she absolutely hit the nail on the head this time. Sasuke had an extremely pale complexion on his perfectly symmetric face which was framed by long pitch black locks that made up his bangs. They hung to either side of his face, each reaching a bit past his chin and they shone in the light when he flicked his head to get a few strands out of his eyes. He seemed to have acquired a habit of ticking his face to the side quickly, to flip his hair out of his sight of vision. The back of his perfectly formed hair was spiked out and all the spikes seemed to point in one direction, creating the illusion of one big spike. It reminded Naruto of a duck butt and he chuckled to himself childishly at the oblivious raven's expense, as he trailed his line of vision down Sasuke's body.

The boy wore dark gray jeans that were faded in certain spots that were worn down. They hung low on his hips enticingly, and tight around his backside, showing off a very proportional, and very nice ass, but flared out a bit once the got to a few inches above his knees so they didn't appear too tight for comfort. His shirt was a unique cobalt blue that had short sleeves which revealed pale, slightly toned arms, and an overly large collar that reminded Naruto of what Shino usually wore. His last piece of intriguing apparel was two arm warmers that stretched loosely from under his elbow to his thin wrists. They were ghostly white outlined in the same cobalt blue and had buckles at the top and bottom to make sure that they were secure to his arms.

The thing most incredible to Naruto, however, was the Uchiha's dark eyes that were just a pitch black as his hair, if not more so. The light reflected in them almost perfectly, so much that they seemed to illuminate when you watched them long enough. The onyx orbs held so much expression, yet no feelings at all, and that was the fact of him that made Naruto stare in wonderment of how it could even be. Sakura WAS wrong, the blonde concluded. Sasuke wasn't hot… he was absolutely beautiful, and if he wasn't straight, he would have been drooling a mini Niagara Falls all over his desk.

Kiba noticed his best friend's odd behavior and jabbed the blonde in the arm with his elbow. When Naruto finally turned his attention towards him, he raised a questioning eyebrow towards him. The blue eyed teen merely shrugged in reply then stuck out his tongue at his friend before eyeing the lonely raven again. Maybe he should say something to him? Welcome him to the school or something… Naruto sent an inquisitive look to his friend as if asking permission and Kiba nodded encouragingly. Awe, hell, why not?

With that, Naruto waved his hand as close to the new boy as he risked, to catch the raven's attention. Sasuke turned his head slightly, an uninterested look on his features in what the blonde wanted from him, and glared unhappily with deep onyx eyes when the boy smiled cheerfully. The ocean eyes cringed in return. Damn, PMS much? Naruto made a mental note to buy the Uchiha Midol for Christmas, before daring to speak to the boy.

"Hi there!" His lively voice showed no reaction to the cold glare he was getting. For that, Naruto was thankful. "Sasuke, right?" The raven snorted unhappily giving a slight nod. Great, the nicey nice approach Kiba had taught him wasn't working at all like he thought it might.

He sighed inwardly, pushing himself to try again, even though his mind was desperately yelling for him not to. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and this is Inuzuka Kiba." He gesticulated with a tanned hand towards his best friend who gave one of his award winning smiles to the still glaring male.

Naruto continued. "That over there with no pupils is Hyuuga Neji, and the lazy ass is Nara Shikamaru." He managed to receive another morose snort. "They're my best friends." The blonde added rather quickly, saying it with an air of importance. _And they could be yours too if you would lighten the hell up._ He added grimly to himself while giving the raven a friendly smile to hide any facial expression that would hint as to what he was thinking. "If you want.. we'd like it if you would maybe join us for lunch? We might be able to answer any questions you have about the school and our friend Shino is really good at keeping the girls away. I could even show you around a bi-"

He cut off his own insistent rambling when he noticed that Sasuke's expression went from extremely irritated to extremely disgruntled. What Naruto had said had obviously taken the impassive male off guard as if he wasn't expecting him to actually request something like going to lunch with them so easily like he did. He had said it so amiably, and so carefree like it was just a walk in the park, even after Sasuke had tried his best to offend him.

Damn, he must have been losing the talent he had acquired years ago, because his glaring wasn't working for him at all that day. For a minute he actually considered what the optimistic boy had asked him, but after a moment he thought better of it, and once he had regained his composure his glare seemed to intensify from what it had been before, if that was even possible.

Sasuke sent Naruto a look of utter distaste before turning away to glare at the wall on the other side of him. "You are a complete dumb ass if you seriously think I need an escort to find my way around this pitiful school, Dobe." He snarled, making sure that his voice was completely composed of raw hatred. He crossed his arms over his chest to emphasize his point.

Now it was Naruto's turn to temporarily look a bit taken aback by Sasuke's rude remark. He could've declined at least a bit more politely, even Chouji had more manners that this prick did! Jeez, and he even tried to offend him by calling him Dobe? What the hell did it mean anyway? That was it! Now he was pissed.

"Dobe? What the hell is your problem, Uchiha!? Huh?" He threw his hands up in the air showing his frustration, with clenched fists that wanted to pound the jerk's face in so badly. Maybe he could teach him a lesson or two about common courtesy. Naw… he wasn't worth it, but he still had a point to make.

"All I was trying to do was be considerate to your position as a new student and you treat me like a pompous ass! _Teme_!" He made sure to put emphasis on the last word. Sasuke wanted to come up with childish names to call him? Well, two can play that game, asshole!

"I don't need your fake kindness." The raven finally retorted, abruptly turning back to the blonde with the fiercest look he could muster. "Take some advice: Save the bullshit for someone who will buy it and stay the fuck away from me. Got it?" With that, and a final icy glare, the Uchiha slammed his chair back angrily and stood.

He flicked his hair conceitedly before striding off briskly towards another empty spot where he'd actually be left alone. He took another seat in the back far corner of the room where it was nice and darkly secluded from everyone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

For god knows how long, Naruto just sat completely still, his eyes glued to the spot Sasuke had once occupied. He was stuck in the middle of bewilderment and shock. How could one person hate everyone around him so much for no reason? What horrible thing could possibly even drive a person to be like that in the first place?

He clenched an irritated fist unconsciously digging his nails into his palm. What a jerk! All he tried to do was be nice! He had never, never been treated so… appallingly in all his life! Well.. he had, but that was by people he had never even liked to begin with, let alone that he tried to be kind to. They didn't count.

Naruto was snapped from his fuming thoughts as the pain his hands finally hit him, and he stretched out his fingers, holding out his palms in front of his face to inspect the fresh marks his nails had indented there. He huffed, trying to cool himself off by reminding himself that his three friends were still next to him, and he didn't want to start a scene. He sent them an exasperated look which they only countered with comforting expressions.

Kiba quirked an eyebrow at his friend's face and moved away from the other two to lean towards Naruto to talk to him. "What a prick, eh?" He said snidely and rolled his eyes trying to cheer up his hurt friend. The dog boy never liked to see Naruto as unhappy as he was then. He stole a glance at the Uchiha who hadn't moved an inch since he sat down and was engaged in staring blankly from the corner. "He's exactly like all the others we have to deal with isn't he?"

Naruto knew that Kiba was referring to many of the popular and very conceited classmates they usually had to deal with because they looked down upon the members of NIN. To his own surprise he actually shook his head and replied, "Iie, he's not exactly like them. He seems to not want any contact with anyone in the room, not just us." He explained quietly, stealing his first view of their subject since the raven had changed his seat.

Sasuke seemed to notice he was staring again, and sent him the infamous callous face of doom. Naruto stuck his tongue out at the onyx eyes male and returned his attention to his friend. "I'll agree with you that he's a conceited jerk, though. I mean who the hell walks in on the first day of school acting like they own the place?" Kiba opened his mouth to answer but Naruto cut him off. "Other than Sakura." He added and Kiba shrugged, smirking.

Suddenly, Naruto leaned in a bit closer so he could whisper, looking his friend directly in the eyes sincerely to show he was serious about what he was about to say. Kiba let an eyebrow raise in question again. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

The blonde smirked, turning briefly to wave sarcastically in Sasuke's direction while smiling at him impishly. He caught another pissy glower from the male before chuckling to himself and turning back to Kiba. "Well Kiba," He started in a deathly serious tone, yet still smiling mischievously. "I believe.. we've found NIN's new project."

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Sorry about me reposting this, but I edited it and stuff so.. yeah. Hope you enjoyed. I'm also posting the second chapter with it.


	2. In Which NIN Is on Crack

Chapter Two

Ohayo! Jinnifuru here again with a new chapter of NIN! Yosh! I'm really happy with how the first chapter turned out, and how long it came out, so I tried to make this chapter just as good. I really hope you like it.

At this point I have no clue when I will be uploading my other four fictions that I've started, but since the finals are here, I'll only be working on this one and my other for the time being.

Thanks again to all of those who reviewed to my first chapter! I really appreciate it, you know! I must say though, I am still in need of a beta reader, it makes me more confident when I have one. So, read the details for it at the end of the first chapter and let me know if you are up to try it. Arigato!

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Kiba's eyes grew as wide as they possibly could without tearing his eyelids apart. Had he heard Naruto right? Sasuke a part of NIN? That dreadful asshole who had been extremely rude to his best friend, even when treated with kindness? Was Naruto on drugs or something? There was no way. No way in hell.

"No… Naruto. No." Kiba finally said in a steady voice, trying his best not to scream it out. _He's off his rocker if he actually thinks that I'm going to let him try to convince someone who was that rude to him to be a part of our group. _Kiba thought angrily to himself.

He ignored the childish pout Naruto sent him and continued in a stern voice that almost no one ever heard from him. "You can choose anyone else in this whole damn school to join us, but we are _not_ going to invite Uchiha into NIN." He paused so his words could sink in but noticed that the pout remained on his friend's face. _Too bad, Naruto, my mind was made up on this the moment he spoke to you._ "Trust me, he wouldn't even appreciate it…"

Naruto watched his friend's firm expression thoughtfully, a bit confused at Kiba's answer. It had been quite a while ago that he had last seen that humorless look on the brunette's face, and it frazzled him a bit to see just how serious Kiba was. He just didn't understand, though.

Usually the dog boy was more than happy to help out when the blonde had found someone to try and persuade to join them. It was also generally Kiba himself who was coming up with ways to get that person to join, and then greeted them with his amiable personality. How was this situation any different other than the fact that the person he had chosen this time was a bit more difficult to deal with than others they had recruited before?

"Why not?" Naruto frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "I mean, yes I know he's a major asshole and that will make it difficult, but he could eventually come around. He could change, Kiba… I did…" He added the last statement more quietly, obsidian eyes gazing sincerely into his friend's matching brown eyes as his face seemed to melt from irritated to somber.

Maybe it wasn't so smart to dig up some of his old memories at the moment. He refrained from glancing at Sasuke over in the corner, even though he wanted to badly. "Besides… he looked so alone."

Kiba rested a gentle hand on the blonde's shoulder, before he replied in a comforting tone. "Naruto… not everyone is like you. This guy is different. He's lonely because he _chooses_ to be, not because others make him so." He knew that he had hit a soft spot earlier with his friend when Naruto had brought up the word 'lonely'.

Kiba was trying his best to express his point this time without making Naruto overly upset. It was odd how something so small could make the blue eyed boy so troubled, but the dog boy had become used to it over the past years. He decided to try and confront the issue a different way.

"I know how much you hate to see it… but there isn't much you can do when he's pushing everyone away. Just now you were as kind as a person can get and you saw how he treated you in return. He doesn't even respect those who try to help him. It's pretty obvious Uchiha wants nothing to do with human contact." He sighed, scratching the back of his dark brown locks, making them even messier than before.

"Naruto, you did change, but that doesn't mean that it will be that easily when it comes to him. You wanted to change, and he… well he's a different story." His words were soft and solemn. "I know you're just being the good person that you are, but care about the people who love you." He concluded softly, still looking deeply into his friend's eyes. "They're the ones who really count."

This time the blonde sighed, taking in the wise words that his best friend had spoken to him. As he thought about each sentence carefully, he admitted to himself that what Kiba had said was indeed true. He wasn't going to deny the fact that Sasuke wanted nothing to do with anything that had to do with human contact, although… even after admitting it, for some reason he was still stubbornly set in what he believed.

There wasn't any way to pinpoint why it was so important to him to befriend this guy. He already had the greatest friends he could ask for. The blonde could just easily forget his existence and get on like he'd never been in contact with the boy in his life. He really shouldn't get himself into this mess, he knew, but there was something inside of him nagging him and pushing him to do it despite his conscious.

Besides, after hearing Kiba out, Naruto still didn't understand why Sasuke was an exception compared to the others, and he found himself coming up with his own set reasons to support his own side. It wasn't that he needed to do this, but that he felt a strong surge to want to do this. Naruto viewed it almost like it was a challenge… and he never lost.

"Kiba…." He started, thinking carefully over his words as he said them. "I'm doing this because I _want_ to. The fact that he pushes everybody away only makes it even more of a reason for me. I think everyone deserves a chance at having people who are there for them, and I believe that that should include Sasuke as well. He should know what it's like to be happy, and know how it feels to have friends," Naruto gave his friend a small smile. "Like us. No one deserves to be deprived of that."

He stopped to look pleadingly into his friends eyes before continuing. "I really, seriously want to help him, Kiba. I don't know why, and I don't really have a founded reason for it, but if I don't try to do something and I have to watch him be alone the rest of the year…" Naruto frowned slightly. "It'll hurt me to know that I'm letting it happen." He paused, clearly reminiscing. "He reminds me so much of me before you came along. I- I can't deal with that." He took in a deep breath, his eyes still in their pleading expression and gazing into his best friend's soft brown ones. "Just trust me.. please."

Kiba sat still in his place, not breaking the gaze that was held between them. He tried his hardest not to break his eyes away from the sad blue ones when they started to practically beg him. His heart sank at that exact moment, and he started thinking quietly to himself.

He didn't really understand how a small matter such as this would make the blonde so anxious.. so upset. Naruto was always so happy, bubbling-over-with-cheerfulness-happy those days, that sometimes Kiba forgot what Naruto was like before they had become friends. He was really only reminded of the before-Naruto on those rare occasions when he could see that element of sadness in those deep blue eyes.

The old version of the blonde had had eyes that matched his current ones perfectly, but instead of showing sadness, they were blank, holding no emotion at all. His face was the same as his eyes, void and emotionless, and this condition had never wavered even when something happened that should've broken him. The boy would just stare off into nowhere with the same nonchalant look about him, as if he was in a trance.

He never talked, or bothered to associate with any of their classmates, and went out of his way to be on his own, away from the groups of happily chatting students. In return the children laughed behind his back, some even to his face, and never bothered to relate with him, making him a quick outcast.… He was all alone.. so alone that it hurt Kiba to even think about the poor boy… sitting by himself in the sandbox, the vacant expression about him, staring off into his own world as he created little works of art that only he would appreciate…

It was hard to even compare him to the older Naruto sitting right in front of him; there was such a vast change once Kiba had entered his life that it even astonished their classmates. Kiba knew bits and pieces of his friend's past, but there were also things that he respected Naruto enough to not ask about. He believed when the time was right, the blonde would openly talk with him about it.

The brunette once again studied his friend's desperate expression, considering the pros and cons. He loved Naruto to death… he was his best friend and the blonde was almost like the brother he never had.

That was why since the day at the sandbox… the first day he had ever seen the boy smile, he promised himself to do whatever it took to never let him go back to being a void emotionless doll. He would make sure that nothing ever made Naruto sad, and if something did happen, he would be the one to be quick to make it alright again. To make him smile again.

That's why as much as he was against becoming friends with the Uchiha-bastard, he also had to think of his best friend as well. He tried to put himself in the blonde's shoes for a moment. Sure it would make Naruto pleased to feel like he was doing something nice by becoming Sasuke's friend, it would make him smile. Maybe things would turn out for the best and he and the raven would become good friends, almost as close as he and Kiba were. That would make him happy right? That would make him smile, right?

But then again, the strongest possibility is what bothered the dog boy. He would support Naruto in trying to recruit Sasuke, only to be treated horribly like before. Naruto would be persistent, but that factor would just keep digging his hole deeper. He'd get pushed farther and farther away, towards rejection… and he'd eventually give in, and continue to watch the raven without friends… without him. Then would he be happy? Then would he smile? No. He would be upset, might even fall into slight depression. His old mask would return…

As much as this discerned Kiba, he knew what he had to do. If there was a chance that things would end up okay, he would just have to put his trust in his friend to do the right thing and win the Uchiha over. If anyone had enough spirit to do it, and enough persistence to never give up on it, it was Naruto. He'd let the blonde take a go at this. After all, all he wanted was his best friend to be happy, and even if Naruto got hurt in the process, Kiba would be sure to be there to raise him up again.

"Alright." Kiba finally consented, smiling slightly, even though he was trying to look like he was aggravated with Naruto's bullheadedness. God he felt so easy for always letting Naruto persuade him into stuff, but it just couldn't be helped. "Just… promise that you'll think it over and you'll be careful to not do anything stupid that will get you hurt. Okay?" Kiba had that mother hen look to him that didn't match well with his childish face.

Naruto's face immediately brightened to its familiar state, and he chuckled good heartedly at Kiba's concern. He wanted to throw his arms around his friend in a hug and squeeze the day lights out of him to show his appreciation, but refrained from the embarrassment for both of their sakes.

"Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Kiba-Kun!" He practically squealed at his friend. "No need to worry about a thing, though." He said assuredly. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"You'd be surprised…"

They were interrupted by the door opening once again, this time giving entrance to whom the students assumed to be their homeroom teacher. The bustling environment of the classroom seemed to dissipate as the students watched the man close the door behind him, with curiosity.

Neji nudged Shikamaru in the side with his elbow. The boy slowly lifted his head, and shot a half lidded questioning glance at his friend who in turn merely flicked his head towards the front of the classroom. Lazy eyes spared a glance. Ah, the homeroom teacher was it? The pineapple haired teen squinted up at the clock, mentally noting that the man who just entered was twenty minutes late.

Kiba motioned towards his friends, all of who leaned in slightly to hear his hushed voice. "Didn't know we had Kakashi for homeroom this year." He chuckled a bit. "Dude, this year is going to be crazy. I've heard some messed up rumors about that one." He left it at that, turning his attention to his teacher who was now standing in the front of the room and staring down his class.

"Sorry I'm late." His voice rumbled in a not so surprisingly lazy voice that could easily compare to Shikamaru's. He anxiously rubbed at the back of his neck, his only visible eye squinting cheekily as he continued with an excuse. "A poor old lady was crossing the street and almost got flattened by a car that I instead heroically took for her. My hospital trip turned out to be a bit longer than planned, though…"

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes at this. Taking one look at Kakashi could tell you right away that he was smoothly lying to them and pulling his excuse straight from his rectum. His appearance didn't show a hint of any injuries that he would most likely acquire after being pummeled by a car. In fact, Kakashi looked completely normal… that is, for Kakashi.

The thing that attracted the most attention to Kakashi was his head. (Authoress: the one on his shoulders, perverts…) His hair was rather long, yet it somehow spiked up into a lopsided dew that flopped over to his left lazily. The bangs parted on his right side and angled across the side of his face, deftly concealing his left eye from view. Though that was odd enough, it didn't help that the shiny locks happened to be a solid silvery gray color, which was only odd seeing as how Kakashi wasn't a day over twenty five. Many rumors throughout the school implied that it wasn't natural, and therefore, he must dye it.

It was hard to tell what the teacher's features looked like at all. The bottom half of his face was hidden behind a thin black cloth which disappeared down his collar line. The only thing you could ever really see on his face to determine his mood was his right eye, and this innerved some people.

On the up side, the man seemed to have a nice light build which he pulled off with the most casual clothes a teacher could possibly get away with wearing to their job. His shirt was a short sleeved blue button down that was accompanied by a pair of black jeans. They fit his legs a bit loosely, but not so much that you couldn't make out how slender he was. The color of the shirt went well with his blue-gray eyes that surprisingly held a cheerful gaze behind his lazy eyelids.

Said teacher started speaking again, breaking the raven from his thoughts.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi. You will refer to me as Kakashi Sensei, and you may only refer to me as such." He said bluntly, slumping to a wheeled chair located behind his cluttered desk. "I'll have you know now that I will not respond to Hatake San, Bakashi, pervert, or bastard. Save it for after school with your friends. Got it?"

A few nods from the students indicated that they did indeed understand and the teacher's eye went back to its upturned (And so less intimidating) state. The NIN boys exchanged a few humored glances at this.

"Good. Now that that's settled… Onto your schedules, then we're done for the day." He motioned with a limp hand to a quiet girl sitting in the first row with her hands in her lap. The poor thing seemed to flinch back from the sudden attention she had gained. "You in the front. What's your name?"

The shy girl stood up on shaky legs and gave the teacher a slight bow before answering him. "H-Hyuuga H-Hinata, sensei." She stammered in a barely audible voice, her pale face as red as a fire engine. The teacher clearly saw her nervousness and smiled consolingly to her as he motioned with another lax hand for her to join him at the front of the room.

Naruto and the others stared at the chalkboard aloofly as their teacher spoke softly with Hinata. Handing her a stack of clean white papers, he ordered her to hand the schedules to their rightful owners which she nodded enthusiastically to before setting to her task. The excitement of the class that had diminished earlier seemed to re-appear at the thought of finally getting their schedules.

When everyone had their own agenda safely in their hands, Kakashi spoke again.

"Alright, here's the deal." He interrupted the happy chattering of the students who were sharing their classes with each other. When their attention was all for him, he continued.

"This year, all students in the Junior class are divided into three different groups. Each group will have all of the same classes together. All groups will have Gym, Performing Arts, and study hall as one big class at the same times. As I hope you can tell, it is not complicated in the least."

"There's an A, B and C schedule, and you will be spending the whole year with the same schedule so get used to it and memorize it. There will be no switching halfway through the year this semester." He glanced at the clock and sighed. "With that said, I'm finished for today. If you have any questions ask another teacher, I can't help you. The last ten minutes of this class are yours."

With that, he stretched his arms, yawning then slumping back in his chair with a relaxed expression crossing his eye. From out of nowhere, he conjured a bright orange book and flipped it open to somewhere in the middle before starting to read. Some of the students made faces when they recognized the book clearly as porn. NIN didn't seem at all phased by this because they were too enveloped in their schedules to care.

Naruto and Kiba quickly and excitedly recognized that they were placed in the same schedule, the A group as it was called. The blonde began to read the order of their classes aloud for the other two NINs to hear.

"Okay, so it appears that we have social studies with Izumo after this, then Chemistry with Kurenai, Lunch, Performing Arts with Kotetsu-san," Naruto smiled when he read the name aloud. Kotetsu was known well around the school for his popularity with the students because of his laid back and immature nature. So far, not so bad.

"After PA class we have Math with Genma," Yet another crazy and immature teacher on the list. Awesome! "English with Iruka, Gym with Gai-Sensei, and finally Study Hall in the LGI with Kakashi. Not such a bad lineup of teachers this year." A relieved Naruto finished, smiling assuredly to Kiba.

"Except for Gai sensei… Naruto, he's a complete loon! And Iruka is gonna be on my ass all year asking me where my work is, then harping that I never do anything." Kiba groaned, slumped in his chair. It was true, Iruka was known for being the kindest most caring teacher one could know, but it was also common knowledge that he was extremely strict when it came to school work.

"C'mon Kiba, he's not that bad. I mean, yeah he can be a bit of a hard ass, but he's just doing his job. We all know the real Iruka is a big loveable puppy." Naruto defended his beloved teacher who also happened to be the guardian of Naruto since the day his parents died.

Iruka was a friend of his fathers and had developed a rather close relationship with little Naruto as he grew up, becoming a second father to the blonde. As it turned out, his father had given the brunette teacher custody of Naruto in his will before he died. Even though Naruto was living in his own place, Iruka still watched over him and acted fatherly towards him.

"You're just saying that 'cause he buys you ramen…" Kiba grunted childishly to no one in particular with a sour look on his face, then turned to the other two NIN boys who had been watching him with bewildered and amused expressions. "What group are you guys in?"

"We're both in C." Neji answered for the two of them because Shikamaru still looked like he wanted to go back to sleep despite what was going on around him. "We have Math next, then Social Studies, Lunch, Performing Arts, Chemistry, English, Gym, then study hall. Same teachers as you, and a few of the same period classes."

A hefty sigh came from his sleepy companion He nudged Shikamaru like he had been for the past half hour with his elbow firmly. Shika sat up a bit from his slumped position, as awake as he could get and rubbed at his side which would probably end up bruising at that rate.

The boy looked at his friend, annoyed, having almost succeeded in falling back to sleep like he wanted to. Neji merely smirked and shrugged with an air of innocence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

First period for the A schedule wasn't very eventful, but many students started to show some relief as they recognized their friends starting to enter the room. Naruto and Kiba who were no exceptions, let out happy whoops to match when Shino walked in, looking as impassive as ever, and made his way over to them.

Kiba pulled out the empty seat next to him, giving the bug lover a flash of his canines in a bright smile. Shino managed a small tick of the corner of his mouth that only the dog lover was able to see before sitting down.

"Alright! Another NIN on the A-Schedule with us!" He cried excitedly while patting a disgruntled Shino on the back. Naruto smiled happily and waved frantically at Shino from the other side of Kiba, sending him a friendly greeting. Shino nodded in acknowledgment, his expression unreadable from behind his sunglasses.

"This is great!" Naruto cheered happily with a fist in the air. "I wonder how the others made off with their schedules?" Shrugs all around. "Guess we'll find out at lunch."

After a few minutes of waiting, the teacher at the front of the class finally introduced himself as Izumo-Sensei, their Social Studies teacher. He was a good natured and laid back teacher which was helpful when it came to calming the nerves of some of the more excited students.

Unlike many of the teachers hired at their school, he seemed to actually like his job. There was a serene smile plastered to his face that didn't falter when he started taking attendance, nor for the rest of the class period, at that.

Sasuke frowned slightly from a seat in the back as he took care to observe each student that entered the room. His newly acquired agenda informed him that he had B schedule, and by the time he entered his first class and picked a desk, he was already considering marching straight to the office to see if he could switch to another one. The people in this class were complete lunatics!

It was bad enough that Sakura-skank and her bitchy blonde friend had come in a few seconds after him (Fortunately they had yet to notice his existence since both were in an in depth conversation, which he suspected to be about him…), but just a few rows in front of him sat one of the freakiest people he had ever laid eyes on.

The boy had pitch black hair in what he assumed to be a bowl cut, wore all green, and wouldn't shut the hell up about how happy he was. Yes, we get it, you're freaking happy. You don't have to share it with the world! To make it worse, the freaky boy seemed to have a thing for Sakura, and he happily plopped himself in the seat next to her before starting off again about how happy he was, this time because they were on the same schedule. Sakura looked mortified.

Sasuke managed a small smirk at the pink haired girl's uncomfortable expression before turning his attention to a male who had just entered and taken a seat behind bowl cut-boy. He immediately recognized the person as Subaku Gaara.

Gaara had spiked angry-red hair that matched his flawless glare-of-death emanating from dark ringed sea green eyes. He was well known and feared for his impassive attitude and also his short temper which was very menacing when it surfaced. For that, many people avoided him.

Finally choosing to ignore everyone's existence but his own, the raven took up the task of staring at his desk, letting whatever thoughts will their way into his mind to do so. He started when he caught a flash of angry blue eyes and bright yellow hair pass before his eyes.

The raven shook it out of his head exasperatedly wondering why Naruto of all people had come to mind. He pinched his nose in an irked fashion. That dobe infuriated him! Sighing, Sasuke let his head fall to the desk. It was going to be a long year…

Gaara didn't even have the chance to look around the room and glare at everyone like he usually did before his attention was caught by the odd male sitting in front of him. Not really understanding why, he kept his gaze situated on the dark haired boy who was clad in all green, and noticed that it must have the teen's 'uniqueness' that had captured his interest. Said person was currently swooning over, and as it looked, harassing the Haruno girl.

"Sakura chan! Is it not amazingly lucky that fate has brought us to the same class?" He cooed cheerfully to the girl, his perfect white teeth gleaming.

At this, Sakura merely spared him a troubled sideways glance before continuing her conversation with Ino as if he wasn't even sitting there. Amazingly, Lee didn't take it personally in any way and persisted in trying to get his classmate to notice his existence. Gaara raised his eyebrow at this, but continued to watch the slow and painful train wreck with complete interest written on his face.

"Have I told you that you are stunning today, as you are every day?" Lee continued at a steady but pointed pace, the same smile from before across his lips. "Maybe I could trouble you to go somewhere like a movie with me? I would be honored to be accompanied by someone so beautiful." With that he reached out a gentle hand to rest it on her shoulder lightly.

That was when all hell broke loose.

"Argh! Get the hell off of me you cretin!" Sakura screeched loudly, smacking his hand away from her with a loud cracking noise. Lee pulled it back hastily, caressing it to his chest with his good hand, his eyes wide and full of hurt.

"I-I apologize, Sakura chan!" He bowed to her, his eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill over at every second. His eyebrows were scrunched together in determination to keep the water works from flowing. "I have no right to touch you. I was merely trying to display the affection I feel-"

"Damn right, you can't touch me!" The pink haired girl cut him off, shouting. She snatched up her purse that sat beside her chair and stood quickly, sending a distasteful look towards the raven. "C'mon Ino, we're moving to the front."

Nodding in agreement, Ino silently got out of her chair and sent Lee a pointed look before following her friend to their new destination with a flick of her platinum hair. Once seated, and like nothing at all had occurred, Sakura went back to her sickeningly overly sweet self while giggling with Ino once again over Sasuke.

Gaara sat as still as ever in his seat, his expression still void of all emotion, not giving away the bewilderment he felt, as he continued to stare at the raven. Lee hadn't moved a muscle since Sakura had smacked him, his accosted hand still held firmly by his good one to his chest. He stared with a bemused expression at the vacant seat next to him that Sakura once occupied, not sure how to handle the humiliation he just received.

After a moment he seemed to snap out of it, releasing his hand so that it rested in his lap. "Ah, she must not be feeling well today." He optimistically convinced himself out loud, the happy gleam in his eyes had returned.

His eyebrows scrunched up once again in concentration showing that he had gone deep into his thoughts. Suddenly his faced lit up with an abundant amount of joy and he struck a victorious good guy pose.

"That's it!" He cheered, punching one hand into the palm of his other hand like he always did when he got a 'brilliant idea'. "Tomorrow I shall bring Sakura flowers that match her overwhelming beauty! That will definitely make her feel better!" He spoke as if the answer was obvious the whole time.

For some reason, the raven's statement completely pissed Gaara off. Was Lee really that stupid not to see that she was totally disgusted by his mere existence? Or was it that he was so bullheaded that he knew it but refused to accept it?

He was being so damn persistent in trying to win the heart of a shallow bitch who would never recognize, let alone return his feelings, even if he was the last man alive. She was a waste of his time, his hope, and his heart, yet he was planning on getting right back on the horse. Sakura would most likely deny him tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. It was a broken record, no matter how many times you played it, it still skipped in the same place. So, why?

Before he realized what he was doing, Gaara spoke. "What's the point?" He questioned Lee's decision in his usual monotone. The acknowledged turned in his seat sideways to meet the eyes of his accuser.

Oddly enough, his reaction seemed to be different from other people's when he caught the intense gaze of the red head behind him. Instead of him stuttering, his eyes wide in fear (which was the usual response Gaara got from a classmate), he titled his head sideways in a quizzical fashion, a bright smile across his lips.

Gaara's left eyebrow twitched.

"Whatever do you mean, fellow classmate?" Lee asked, his smile not faltering with the annoyance that seemed to flash across Gaara's eyes. Maybe talking to this kid wasn't exactly the greatest idea. This could be messy. Despite his inner voice screaming at him to get out of it as soon as he could, he replied with the same tone.

"I mean that Haruno girl. There's no point in trying." He deadpanned pessimistically, trying to think of a way to not offend the boy without appearing kind. "Besides, she's not even pretty."

Oh, shit. Bad move.

This resulted in a loud gasp from the other male, his expression completely mortified at the green eyed boy's words. Lee's eyes had become wider than ever, his mouth twisted open in gaping astonishment. Said person pointed an accusing finger through Gaara's personal bubble and directly into his face, just inches from his nose.

"How dare you say that?!" He exclaimed obnoxiously, his hand shaking in what appeared to be determination. "Sakura is the most beautiful woman in all of Konoha! Some day she will see how deep my affection is for her and will become my girlfriend! You just wait!"

What the crap? He really _was_ dense.

"Suit yourself." Gaara replied with a mere shrug after silently weighing whether he should retaliate or not. There was no point in wasting energy arguing with someone so thick minded. He could smack himself.

Hell, he had actually tried to help someone for once! Maybe he was going soft.

Lee smiled even wider at this, his teeth gleaming in pride. His hand that was near Gaara's face lowered itself a bit, and he held it out in a more welcoming fashion. "I don't believe I have introduce myself yet. My name is Rock Lee, but you may call me Lee. Whom am I having the pleasure of talking with?"

"Gaara."

Cutting them off, Iruka's voice projected itself from the front of the classroom, catching their attention. "Okay students, settle down." He demanded in a stern voice causing the noise in the room to immediately dissipate. "My name is Iruka-Sensei, and you'll be having your English class with me this year."

The teacher went on to describe the rules and made it perfectly clear that he would not accept tardy work, blank work, or no work at all. It was also apparent that he would also not accept talking, sleepy, nor doodling. What a tight ass…

"Now, to get started today, I'm going to pair you up into groups of two. Your assignment will be to interview your partner then write an article about them. You have a half an hour. I expect the assignment by the end of the period." He cleared his throat, gazing at his students with rock hard eyes. "I will be picking the groups to make sure you wont be slacking off." Many of the students groaned inwardly at this, but didn't protest.

"So, since you two in the back seem to already have gotten well acquainted," He gestured towards the raven who was still turned sideways in his seat, a guilty expression dawned on his face. "Our first group will be Rock Lee and Subaku Gaara."

And so it began…

XXXXXXXXXX

After enduring two excruciatingly slow classes, one of which that had Naruto a bit frazzled, it was finally lunchtime. YOSH!

This lunch was just about as ordinary as any lunch they had before.

Tables were set up in long rows across the clean white tiled floor. Daylight filtered in through windows on opposite cream colored walls, and also came down from a few skylights scattered across the ceiling, making the area unusually bright. The place was generally clean, seeing as how the juniors were the first class to use the cafeteria, and wouldn't stay that way for long.

"Hey guys." Naruto greeted cheerfully to his friends, all of whom had arrived a few minutes before him. His tray clattered to the table loudly as he seated himself in his usual place between Lee and Kiba. Both greeted him with a smile.

"Naruto! What fortune I have for they served tuna today!" Lee belted to the blonde gleefully with a swift smack to his friend's shoulder. He took a rather large bite from his sandwich for good measure, then smiled, showing the mushy goods stuck between his teeth.

"That's great, Lee." Naruto replied with a chuckle before attempting to open his cardboard chocolate milk container. After a few swigs he joined in a conversation his bushy browed friend had started.

"You think your second period was bad?" Naruto whined, pinching his nose as if in frustration. "Try having to sit next to the pompous ice prince Uchiha in Chemistry then get back to me…"

Kiba chortled good heartedly at this. "Look on the bright side, Naru. At least he isn't your partner for labs. As long as you avoid eye contact, let me rephrase, all forms of contact with him and act like he's a figment of your imagination, I'm sure you'll survive." He patted his friend on the back.

"Easy for you to say, you sit on the other side of me, you bum. You don't have a hole being bored in the side of your head from his ultra-emo-death-glare." Naruto pointed out, cringing. His right eye was starting to twitch…

"I don't think I can make it this year, guys." He stated dramatically, his eyes closed and hands poised gently to his cheeks. "You'll have to make it without me." With that, he threw himself face first onto the table, clumsily knocking his tray against Lee's. The Styrofoam bowl on said tray tipped over, allowing the green peas to roll across the table freely, some falling to their doom over the table's edge.

"Cheer up, friend." Implored a worried Lee, ignoring his disheveled tray to shake the blonde's shoulder. When Naruto didn't budge, the raven sat back in his chair, a thoughtful and determined look on his face. Eventually the light blinked on and his face lit up with an idea. He leaned forward enough so that he could whisper the challenge loudly in the blonde's ear and also have the others overhear.

"I bet I could beat you in wrestling of the thumb."

Naruto sprang up in his seat, determination already set on his features. "Bet you can't!"

Kiba laughed quietly at his friends' childish behavior, shaking his head as both started the game with clenched fingers and looks in their eyes that could make one think it was a life or death situation. After observing them for a moment, Lee-1 Naruto-0, he turned to pay attention to the dark haired male that was eating quietly beside him as if no one was there.

"Shino." Kiba started, turning in his chair to gain his friend's attention like he knew it would. Sure enough, said boy looked up from his tray to meet brown eyes with his own hidden behind the dark lenses of his glasses. Could he even see with those things on?

To the brunette's giddy surprise, a deep yet surprisingly soft voice answered him. "Kiba…"

The lack of wording didn't perturb Kiba at all. Instead it made a large smile spread across his face, his oddly sharpened canine's glinting in the light. "How were your classes?" He asked, knowing full well that he wouldn't get much of a detailed response, but questioned anyway.

"Fine." Shino took a bit of his sandwich.

"Mine were fine also, thanks." Kiba teased in a fake sarcastic tone. He was used to Shino's lack of enthusiasm when it came to carrying a conversation and usually found his own ways of dealing with the be-spectacled boy. He decided to finish his joke with: "I'm so glad you asked!"

And out of the corner of his eye, so faint that only someone who knew Shino very well would notice, Kiba saw a slight tick of the right corner of the bug boy's mouth. This, the brunette knew, was the quiet boy's way of smiling at him in public. Glad that he humored his friend, Kiba grinned as wide as he could without his mouth ripping at the edges.

Across the table, two of the NIN boys were quietly observing the others in their group like they usually did, and the Kiba and Shino incident didn't go unnoticed (though it was hard with the obnoxious thumb wrestling tournament happening to really concentrate).

"Those two…" Neji shook his head, a peaceful expression across his flawless face. He was leaning backwards in his chair, legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles, his hands resting neatly in his lap. White eyes moved to his lazy companion as he waited for a reply.

Shikamaru was slumped over the table like one could usually find him. His head rested lazily in his palm, propped up by the elbow and his eyes were half closed, yet still watching his friends contentedly. He nodded at the long haired boy's words. "Indeed."

"Kiba is the only person I have ever seen Shino talk to. Ever since I've known him, granted it hasn't been as long as you, I can't seem to catch him even answering teachers, let alone enter a conversation at free will." Neji used the word 'conversation' lightly, of course.

"Yes, but don't forget how persistent Kiba is." Shikamaru answered with a yawn, sparing to look at Neji as he talked to him. "It was his idea in the first place to bring Shino into NIN. Ever since that day, he hasn't stopped badgering him about being more open in our conversations. Look at it this way, it's been this long and he only manages a few words from Shino. It doesn't seem much to us, but to Kiba, it's a big accomplishment."

Neji nodded, understanding how Kiba must have felt after trying for almost a year to get a response from a person he most dearly cared about. Speaking of which…

"But we both know that there is more unsaid things under the surface, don't we?"

"Yes… And everyone will eventually come to find out, in due time." Shikamaru smiled a bit. "After all, you can't keep those kinds of things away from the other for too long, no matter how much you refuse to spea-"

"SCHEDULE SWAP TIME PEOPLE!" Naruto's overly loud voice boomed over the table, interrupting other conversations going on. Shikamaru spared him lazy eyes, turning away from an irritated Neji who had an elegant eyebrow raised at the sudden outburst. Chouji looked up from his lunch, but that didn't stop him from eating it as he appeared to be listening.

It was a NIN tradition that on the first day of school, the members would share their schedules with each other at the end of lunch. How it started, god knows, but they never skipped out on it a year and this year wouldn't be any different.

"Well we already know that Kiba and I have A schedule together and Shika and Neji have C together." Naruto explained with an 'it's totally obvious' look on his face. He raised a matter of fact finger and was about to go on but was cut off by the raven next to him.

"What luck you much have Naruto! To always acquire the same schedule as your best friend! How ever do you do it?" Lee inquired with a look of pure disbelief on his face.

Kiba and Naruto shared an amused and knowing look before Kiba decided to reply. "Um… We don't have Shika hack into the school's system and change around our schedules for us if that's what you were thinking." He said sheepishly while mussing his spikes, trying that air of innocence that never worked for him.

If it was possible, Neji's eyebrow raised even higher at this piece of information. That explained a lot. He wondered why Shika had never bothered telling him that he did that. Then another thought crossed his mind. If he fixed Naruto and Kiba's schedule, then did that mean he had rigged theirs as well so that they could be together? Neji felt a strong sense of endearment for his friend wash over him, deciding to keep it to himself to ask the lazy teen later.

"I have been put in the C group, and am very happy for I have made a new friend." Lee stated proudly, his eyes glistening with tears of… happiness?

"I'd watch that Gaara kid though, if I were you." Chouji said in between mouthfuls of potato chips, popping Lee's happy bubble. The raven pouted a bit, but it was ignored as Chouji finished. "Anyway, I'm on C group with those two." He motioned a pudgy hand in the direction of Shikamaru and Neji.

"And last but not least, Shino's with us." Kiba said for the quiet boy, draping his arm around Shino's shoulders happily. The bug boy stiffened a bit at the awkward contact, but grunted to show that Kiba's information was correct.

On queue, the bell sounded throughout the cafeteria, signaling the end of lunch. Almost simultaneously, the NIN members pushed out their chairs, some with more energy than others, and stood to throw away what was left of their lunches. The full teenagers around them weaved their way through the group and left, paying no mind to Naruto who stopped dead in his tracks with his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Oh! I almost forgot, which means you all probably have too!" Naruto exclaimed out of nowhere, slapping his forehead. "Don't forget we have a NIN meeting at the 'usual spot' tonight at five. Chouji'll bring snacks and Kiba will bring his boom box. Anyone who wants to bring CDs, please do." He said with an air of importance.

Neji rolled his eyes at the blonde's announcement, embarrassed at how corny it had sounded. "You don't have to be so formal about it." He grunted. "All you needed to say was that we were hanging out tonight at 5…"

Shikamaru chuckled at the long haired boy's irritable state. "This is Naruto we're talking about…" He stated in a sage voice like that explained everything. Which it did. "Nothing's ever easy."

"I think he made it sound undercover and super cool!" Lee said joyfully, posing with a fist in the air and a shimmering smile. He engaged in wrapping an arm around said friend who smiled at his excitement.

"Of course you did…" Neji murmured to himself so that only a smirking Shikamaru could hear.

From the back of the group, Chouji could be heard whining. "Why do I always bring the food?" he complained, not caring that he was changing the subject. It was true, though. He was always volunteered to bring the snacks whenever NIN had a get together.

Kiba laughed at this and reached out to put an amiable hand on the boy's shoulder. "Because you always _have_ food." He said, motioning to the bag of potato chips still clutched in one of Chouji's sweaty hands. The pudgy boy rolled his eyes at this.

Before another argument could start up, Naruto quickly decided it was time to go and grabbed the sleeves of the two people standing closest to him. Neji and Kiba let out cries of protest as their clothes were yanked on and they were dragged away by the energetic blonde who was calling over his shoulder.

"Time for class!"

-----------------XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-------------------------------------

Hope you liked it! I know it's slow, but I promise it's getting somewhere. The next chapter is expected to be much longer than this one, so bear with me. I'm juggling school work, personal issues, and many other things along with trying to write my fanfics, hence why I don't post regularly.

Thanks for the reviews, I hope I get more. Actually.. If I don't get more than five reviews for this chapter, I think I will juts end it and start on one of my other nine fanfics that I have outlines to. It's frustrating, I have so many good ideas, and not enough time to physically write them out… Oh well… I'll have time soon.


	3. IMPORTANT UPDATE

Hello, everyone.

It has been quite some time, has it not? I've counted. Nearly four years have passed since I lost my confidence in writing this fic, and completely gave up. Four VERY long years, mind you. Tonight, while I was enjoying other people's works, I had a strange inkling to look up my own. I was surprised after reading the first few paragraphs at how WELL written my story was, compared to my foggy memories of how I perceived my work back then. Mind you, it wasn't the most cleverly written, or grammatically correct, but nonetheless, I was quite impressed with my young self and even smiled a bit when I read the reviews.

Now for the (hopefully) pleasant news that this update should bring you.

After four very long years, and the discovery of my work, I have decided to revamp my profile, and go right back on writing. I have missed the wonderful reviews, and the creativeness that I found myself in whenever I wrote. I have many creative outlets (acting, singing, drawing, etc.) but none made me feel as accomplished after hours of work like a new chapter to my story has.

Now, I know you may have a few questions.

I am currently working on a Snarry (Severus Snape/ Harry Potter) fanfiction, as well as a Kurtofsky (Kurt Hummel/ Dave Karofsky) fanfiction that I will hopefully soon have up and ready to go, for those of you who are interested. As pertaining to this story, and my other unfinished story- If I happen to receive enough interest in either fanfiction, I'll most likely be willing to pick them back up and continue them.

Also, I will be in search of a beta reader rather soon- preferably someone with a decent sense of grammar, as well as an individual who is a shipper of one of the pairings i choose to write about. If you have interest in that position, please message me, or leave your information for me in a review for this "chapter".

SO, in conclusion of my overly long drivel of a letter to my readers, If you have any comments, ideas, questions, concerns, or would like to support me in continuing with this fanfiction, please leave a much appreciated review for me.

Thank you all so much for your patience!

Miss Furu


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